Remembering 9/11

I can't believe it's been 7 years since 9/11 happened. I will never forget that day. A day that changed our nation forever. The picture above is my favorite pictures from that day. Seeing everyone come together to help out and the pride we all had on that day for our country.
I am always curious to know what people were doing on that day. I was especially curious when I was a flight attendant and it was interesting to hear where crews were when they were flying that day. Some were stranded in random cities for days without word on when they could come home. Some people were in flight and had to land in the nearest city not knowing what was going on. Some crews, after being stranded for days, rented cars and drove back to their base.

I remember I was in college getting ready for school that morning. I always watched the last 10 minutes of the news and the first 15 minutes of The Today Show before I headed to school. I remember the local news saying there was something going on in New York and that they would let The Today Show update us. I'll never forget the way I felt when the show started and they were filming The World Trade Center, on fire. I remember Matt Lauer saying how a plane had struck the building and they thought that maybe it was some kind of mistake. I ran into the kitchen where my dad and little brother were eating breakfast. I hurried and turned the TV on against my Dads will. He was trying to read the paper but I assured him he wanted to watch TV. As I turned the TV on you could see another plane coming around the second tower and then to every one's surprise, it smashed right into it. I remember hearing everyone, including Matt Lauer screaming. It was horrible! I had chills! What was going on?! I wanted to keep watching but had to leave for school. I wish so much I would have stayed home that day and watched the news all day. What a sad, sad day. I think the saddest part for me was watching people jumping out of the buildings. How scary that must have been to be in there and making the decision to jump to your death.

Alan has a co worker who had been working in the second tower. I don't know what floor but it was towards the top. Him and his co workers heard a huge bang. All of his co workers ran upstairs and he ran downstairs to get out of the building. He was the only out of all his co workers that survived.

I'm sure we've all heard tragic stories like this one. It was such a sad day. I'm sure you can remember what you were doing that day and how you felt. We should remember on this day every year how lucky we are to live in this country and for the freedom we have.

What a show off...

Alan grew up on a dirt bike. Riding is one of his favorite things to do. He decided to buy a dirt bike for Justin last summer when he turned 4 so as he grows up they will both have a hobby they love to do together. Justin loves his bike so much! It's been fun to watch him get more comfortable on it. At first, he rode really slow and was really cautious . Fast forward a year later, he's a bit of a show off. He rides faster (15 mph) and even puts one hand behind his back. I guess he thinks he's a bit of a dare devil. He's getting really good at riding on the grass. I think the next step (maybe next year) will be to take off the training wheels and then eventually move on to riding on the dirt. We took him to the park on Saturday to have him ride around. Here are some pictures.
Oh and BTW, Alan bought him all the gear he needs to be safe. The boots, jacket, pants, etc... We tried to get him into all his gear on Saturday but he's out grown everything. The kid grows like a weed! So here he is in just jeans and a t shirt but we'll be getting new gear before he rides again. :)

Here he is getting ready to go ride

This one is my favorite. Too funny!

BIG T

Here is a picture of my nephew, Thomas. I got it from my brother in law and just couldn't resist posting it. Isn't it obvious why? I just love it. I had a good laugh when I saw it because it's just so adorable! I love my little Thomas so much. He's such a sweet kid!
P.S. My sister keeps telling me that Thomas looks just like me. I believed her but was blown away when last night we were looking at baby pictures of me and comparing the two of us. I was shocked! This is exactly what I looked like when I was a baby. Isn't that crazy? No lie, to a T! My sister and I don't look that much a like so the fact that her son looks exactly like me is funny. Good lookin kid, don't ya think. Haha!

Our Date

Alan and I have not been out in a long time. He has been working 70-80 hours a week. That does not leave much time for us right now. Being the sweet husband that he is, he set aside his work and took me out for a much needed date. Ruth's Chris is one of our favorite restaurants so he decided to take me there. It is special to us because that is where we went the night we got engaged and also on our honeymoon. If you haven't been, you need to experience it once in your life. The salads, the steaks, the potatoes, even the bread is so good! The food is so rich that you can't eat that much but somehow leave feeling stuffed.

We had a great time! When we were dating and first married, we went out all the time so it wasn't that special but last night was really special. I forgot how much fun a date can be. Sometimes I take Alan for granted and all that I have. Last night was a sweet reminder of what a blessed life I live. Thank you Alan for a fun date last night and for being such a wonderful husband!

The Secret

"ALL THAT WE ARE IS THE RESULT OF WHAT WE HAVE THOUGHT"

-Buddha-

I'm sure most of you have heard of The Secret. I love it! A friend gave it to me on CD about a year ago and it's just been sitting in my car. I've seen the DVD and have heard the CD before. I've always thought it was a great concept. But that is it. Just kind of left it at that. Well about a week or two ago, I decided to play it in my car and listen to it everywhere I go. Wow, what a difference it has made in my life. It has made me more aware of my thoughts and how easy it is to be negative. I've listened to it over and over and over again. Something I need to do to really absorb it, I guess. I have been so much more positive this week and it has made such a difference in my life. Everyday I focus on what I am grateful for and it has really opened my eyes to how blessed my life really is and continues to be.

One example of how I've applied The Secret in my life is through my workouts. I love to workout. It's just my thing. I realised this last week that I've been so negative about my fitness level the last year or two and as a result of those thoughts, my fitness level has really diminished. So everyday before I go to the gym I've been focusing on how strong and athletic I am and I've been able to push through my workouts so much harder. This has made me so excited to go to the gym everyday and see how much harder I can push. That's just one example. Every morning I write down all I am grateful for that day and make a decision to be positive. If you haven't heard of The Secret, you should get it. I recommend the CD because it has more information on it. Listen to it often and apply it in your life. I promise it will make such a difference and you will love it as much as I do.

My Weekend

I had quite the emotional weekend. So much that I didn't fall asleep until 6 a.m. Sunday morning and then only slept for 4 hours. Sometimes I wonder how I will keep it together when I am a mom because I tend to take things to heart and feel so much pain for other people who are going through a hard time. I realized something about myself this weekend. I tend to have a harder time when people close to me are going through a trial then when I'm going through a trial. I think it's because I can't fix it when it's someone I love. When it's me, I can try to change the situation or at least do my best to just endure it. When it is a loved one, I can't do that for them. That is hard for me.

Alan and I had a good conversation this weekend that helped me feel at peace. I don't mean to get too spiritual but I wanted to share my thoughts about our conversation. One of the things I love about the gospel is knowing what the atonement means and really believing that the atonement is real. Life is full of challenges and trials and sometimes it feels too heavy to bear. It is at these times I think about the atonement and that our Savior already suffered for us. We can find peace in knowing the atonement is real.
A scripture we talked about that helps to give me peace is John 14:27- Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Peace is knowing that we are saved through grace. We do the best we can, endure our challenges the best we can and the lord will make up the difference. I love this scripture. It is so comforting to me.

The Lord knows our pain and he knows exactly what we feel and what we are going through. At times life doesn't seem fair. You probably know someone who has had a rough life and just can't catch a break. It just doesn't seem fair. When I think of people like this or when I'm going through a difficult time, I just keep reminding myself that the lord will make it right. I don't know when, I don't know how but he will. It might not even be in this lifetime but he will. That brings me peace. That gets me through times such as this weekend.
There have been times in my life when I have felt wronged. We all have. For me the only way to get through those times is not to think of the revenge I want to give to that person or people but to remember that the lord will make it right. That doesn't mean I hope he will punish them the ease my pain but just that he will fix my pain or do something to fix the situation. The best thing to do and the hardest thing to do is to forgive those people and find peace in knowing it will be fixed somehow.
I also realized this weekend that nothing, I mean nothing is more important than family. Your house, your car, your job, etc... They are all you have after this life. I love my family so much and would do anything for them. I would carry their pain for them if I could. I would do anything to make them happy. I'm grateful to have such a great family who continues to help me grow and love me unconditionally.

Carlton

About a month or two ago my brother was in a car accident. He hit his head and black out for a minute but ended up walking away from the accident. He was having bad headaches and throwing up. He lost weight which he doesn't have any weight to lose.
Turns out he severed his pituitary gland. This regulates all the hormones in your body such as growth, energy, sex, metabolism, etc... He now has to take medication the rest of his life. Which isn't cheap. There is less than a 10% chance of him healing completely.
We had a family fast this weekend and yesterday had a family prayer. I felt the spirit so strongly. My family is very close and it really touched me to see every one's concern for him. He's such a good, strong kid. I hope he will grow from this experience and if anything, grow closer to the lord.
We love you Carlton! We hope you will get better soon!